FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

Evening Star, Issue 19776, 28 January 1928, Page 18

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

[By LOITERER

The Fullers’ Follies are staging a very fine show at the Princess Theatre this afternoon for their second last in Dunedin. After next week they move 0.. to Christchurch, and George Wallace, Dunedin’s idol, will return for a fortnight prior to his departure for Australia. This will bo Wallace’s last appearance in this town for a long tune, for he intends leaving for England and America about August. Leon Gordon was to open at Melbourne to-night in ‘'.lho Trial of Mary Dujjan.’ Alan Wilkie and his company arc in Hobart. Ho states that lie will begin another season in Melbourne in June. Mr Arthur Jordan, the English tenor, writes that he expects to visit New Zealand again next year. Mr B. Tate, advance manager, and Mr C. E. Casling, business manager, are at present in Wellington making arrangements for the Chorniavsky Trio musical tour of New Zealand, which commences in Wellington next month. “Bert” Tate was here and won many friends as one of the officials in charge of Amusement Park at the Exhibition. The Stiffy and Mo Comedy Revue Company _ is now in its twelfth week at the Bijou, Melbourne, and business is still maintained at an exceptionally high level. It seems as though this combination, undoubtedly _ tbo_ most popular on the Fuller circuit, will bag another long season record to keep the recently-secured Sydney one company. Lizette Parkes, a_ popular musical comedy and dramatic star of other years, may return to the stage. For some years now she has been the wife of Dr Andrews, of _ Sydney. Her sister, Elsie, was playing hero last year in ‘No, No, Nanette.’ Lizette Parkes will be remembered** in the days of Juliet Knight and Irene Browne. She also played in ’ Peter Pan ’ throughout New Zealand. An announcement has been made by J. C. Williamson, Ltd., that it has engaged for a tour of Australia, Mr Owen Nares, a leading London actor and matinee idol, reputed to be the handsomest man in England. Ho will come to Australia next year with an English company. Ho has been on the stage for nineteen years, and his wife is Marie Polini, sister of the late Emili Polini, who spent a number pf years in Australia. While Muriel Starr, the actress, was playing the leading role in the crime drama, ‘ Cornered,’ at the Palace Theatre, Sydney, recently her flat in Springfield avenue, Pott’s Point, was being ransacked. On her return at 11 o’clock she found the door open and the key still in the lock. The thief had merely turned tlie_ key and walked in. Watches, clocks, rings, brooches, a pearl string and clasp, and money to the total value of £IOO were stolen.

Dame May Whiffy, who is sixty-two, and has not played in musical comedy since she was a chorus girl in ‘ Rip jVan Winkle,’ at the Comedy Theatre, ‘Loudon more than forty years ago, has a part in .‘Sylvia,’ recently produced at Vaudeville Theatre, London. Ben Webster, her husband, who i-i sixty-threc, will also have a part. Iris Hoey plays the name part, and others in the'cast are Ivor Barnard, • Ernest Thesiger, and MargaretYarde. ‘The Student Prince,’ which has followed the production ol ‘Madame Pompadour’ in Melbourne, is meeting with great success. It will probably be some time before New Zealanders are given a chance ol seeing these two delightful musical plays with Miss Beppie De Vries, the Dutch actress, and Mr James Liddy in the principal roles. It is anticipated that the company will revive Lehar’s greatest success, 1 The Merry Widow,’ in Melbourne, and those who remember the first production of this most beautiful light opera can see that it will be some time before Melbourne lets the company depart. The young actress, Miss Mary Macgregor, who played with such charm in ‘ Cappy Ricks ’ two or three years ago, is now a lending member of Mr Man rice Moscovitch’s company. Sho has been playing Mary Lcnley in two of Mr Edgar Wallace's mystery plays about that famous criminal, the Ringer. Miss Eileen Sparkes is playing °Cora Ann Milton, and both nave received high praise for brilliant characterisations. The performances of Miss Renee Kelly in four light comedies, notably in Lonsdale's ‘The Last of Mrs Cheyney,’ aro among the most treasured memories of the theatrical year that is past. Miss Kelly returned to England through America, and in November, after an absence of nearly three years, she and her husband, Mr Hylton Allen, reappeared at the Coliseum. Aliss Kelly hopes to make another tour of Australia and New Zealand before long, and it is her ambition to appear in some of the- onc-act plays of Barrie and Milne, in which achieved •considerable success in England. Sir Benjamin Fuller stated on Saturday, at Christchurch, that. Fullers’ new'theatre, to bo built near the Clock Tower in Manchester street, will be begun as soon as possible, and declared that the lease of the site had been signed by New Zealand Pictuie Supplies, Ltd. He said that the existing lease does not expire until November 31 next, and that the demolition of tbo present building, occupied by a motor cycle firm, would be commenced the following day. 1 o ll r thousand seats will be provided in the theatre, which will include shops and offices, and possibly a cabaret. ft will cost at least £IOO,OOO to erect. Though primarily a picture theatre, it niil have ample stage space, lor the staging of a big musical comedy. Sm Benjamin, who is in New Zealand on a holiday tour with Lady Fuller and their two daughters, loaves shortly for Queenstown. Leon Gordon, who is to appear at the King’s Theatre, Melbourne, tonmht, in the first production m Australia of ‘ The Trial of Mary Dugan, co-operated with the author of the play, Bayard Veiller, in the selection of the cast for the Australian production. Mr Gordon was fortunate in being able to secure as leading lady Miss Gwyneth Graham, who was in the cast of the production at the National Theatre, New York. This was rendered possible by tho influence or Bayard Voillcr, who also selected Ins West and Frederick Boland. Bayard Veiller, hv the way, told Mr Gordon that ns soon as ho had finished, a now play upon which he wa.s working, no would take a trip to Anstraha, partly on holiday and also to seek local color

filings on &o people of Siaga ffis&Seseea m& m latest temaMMssh.

and material for either another play or a motion picture. “ I have always had a pleasant feeling towards Australia by reason of the splendid hospitality and kindness accorded my wife during her stay there,” said Mr Veiller. The playwright’s wife is known on the stage as Margaret Wycherley. She played the part of the fortuneteller in her husband’s play, ‘ The Thirteenth Chair,’ which was staged in Dunedin some years ago. A Sydney paper, referring to the production of ‘ Rose Mario ’ by the J. C. Williamson Musical Comedy Company, says; “ Jt is becoming more and more evident that audiences have expensive tastes. There is a very decided (preference for musical comedies, the most costly of theatrical productions. In big cities a good musical show like 1 Rose Marie ’ must run for at least 10U nights, with good matinees, to bo financially worth while. ‘ Rose Marie ’ costs at least £-’,OOO per week to produce. The easts _in such pieces are large and highly paid, there must be a large chorus, the ballet dancers must bo by the score or halfhundreds, the costumes must bo gorgeous and costly, the scenery good, and the general dressing elaborate. Drama is less showily dressed and more modest in every other respect. As an antithesis to ‘ Rose Mario ’ take ‘ The Climax,’ with a cast of four and no scenery or robes to speak of. iho popularity of musical comedy, therefore, shows that this is an age of extravagance and extravaganzas! Owing to the success in Australia of Maurice Moscovitch and his dramatic company in the thrilling dramas ‘ The Ringer ’ and ‘ The Terror,’ the New Zealand tour has had to be postponed, and the tentative dates abandoned. This is to bo regretted, for theatregoers were looking forward with keen interest to’ the production of these highly-attractive Edgar Wallace plays. The battle of wits between Scotland Yard and the master crook is ho now theme, but it would seem to be lasting and evergreen. ‘The Ringer’ and ‘ The Terror ’ are considered by many to bo the most thrilling (they are certaintly the most successful) of such plays. Of their type these dramatised versions of Edgar Wallace’s gripping detective stories are masterpieces. They have real mysteries, abundant humor, and swiftly-moving _ incidents. The exact dates of Moscovitch’s New Zealand tour will be announced later, Mr Bert Royle (New Zealand representative of J. C. Williamson, Ltd., and J. and N. Tait) being now engaged in arranging a new dominion itinerary. Word was received in Wellington last week from Mr E. J. Gravestock that he had arranged a tour of New Zealand and Australia by Miss Amy Evans, the distinguished English dramatic soprano, and Mr Fraser Gange,_ the Scottish baritone, the tour to begin at Wellington about tho middle of April. These distinguished singers, who made an unforgettable impression here some five years ago, are thoroughly representative concert and oratorio singers of the first grade. _ Having established themselves firmly in the Old Country, where their services were always in demand, those singers looked for new worlds to conquer, and some two years j ago accepted an engagement to appear in America. Such was the success that attended their appearances in that country that they have resided in New York ever since. Miss Evans and Mr Gnnge have many friends in New Zealand who will he delighted to hear of their early return. Jn the cast of a Now York production, ‘lnterference,’ are two players well known hero—Arthur Wontnerand Kathleno Macdoncll. Tho former played through New Zoaland_ with Julius Knight and Maud Jeffries in ‘The Eternal City’ (playing Bonelli), while tho latter co-starred with Charles Waldron in ‘ Daddy Long Logs ’ and other plays. After eight years in England and America, Miss Agnes Gressicr, the Sydney soprano, is about to return to Australia. Miss Grcssier, whose rich vocal quality attracted attention at her Sydney ’appearances, continued her studies when sho went to London, where she was under Miss Nellie Rowe. For tho past six years she has been in America, where she took lessons from another well-known teacher, Sergei Klibansky, of New York. During her term in the States Miss Cress ior_ has appeared with success in New York, and has also toured, having visited Boston, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, and other big centres. Scenes from grand opera have been presented during these tours, and Miss Gressier has been able to show Her talent in such parts as Leonora in ‘ll Trovalore ’ and Mimi in ‘La Boheme.’ At present she is appearing on the Pacific Coast, including Los Angeles in the tour, which will finish at Vancouver. Writing in the London 1 Daily Telegraph,’ linra Kraft makes interesting reference to ‘The Trial of Mary Dugan,’ the play to bo done in Australia and New Zealand by Leon Gordon. She says: There is no “curtain,” no visible attempt at “ theatre.” One walks into a playhouse which has been transformed into a section of “ the Supreme Court of tho United States. Court attendants are dusting the room, and a court reporter is getting his notes in order before the trial begins. Wo are in tho heart of the courtroom, and the nonchalance with which the play gradually begins, with the leisurely entrance of judge, jury, and witnesses, makes late arrivals led satisfied that they haven’t missed anything. There are no set intermissions, acts, or scene forms. “The court adjourns,” or is ordered “a recess.” The programme reads: “The three parts are laid in section 31 of the Supremo Court.” There are all the details in the aisles and on the stage of actual court life. There is little illusion, yet one is far more deeply interested in the action of this play than in the antics of “The Spider,” that clever piece of charetanry which leaves nothing in the memory but a sense of clap-trap! We could wish that the story of Mary Dugan were more portant and interesting. If Mr Veilter had been as intense •about his drama as ho was about his staging we might have had a “great play.” As it is, wo have only a mediocre play, brilliantly acted by the lovely Ann Harding and the skilful Rex Chenyman. And wc have as a novel piece nf staging and directing as we have witnessed in a decade. The play is running at present at the National Theatre, New York.